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Introduction

People overestimate the pleasure they'll get from having more stuff. This does not apply to new rose bushes, crayons, or yarn stashes. — Dr. Sun Wolf

This session helps children identify the difference between need and want and introduces relevant actions that make a difference in caring for the web of life. While some participants may be familiar with the 3 Rs (Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle), this session introduces another R, Refuse, which is demonstrated in the central story about a very fun "no presents" birthday party. The 5th R is Rot (decomposition), explored in Session 7.

Goals

This session will:

Foster an environmentalist ethic for refusing, in addition to reducing, reusing, and recycling

Explore the difference between needs and wants

Empower participants as leaders

Reinforce the seventh Unitarian Universalist Principle, "respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

Consider a "no presents" birthday party, by responding to a real-life story